Succession planning for businesses doesn’t have to be a mystery. American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys’ Education Director Steve Hartnett touches on the topic of succession planning for businesses in the content below, but our estate planning attorney, Hunter Montgomery, is happy to help you if you have questions.
Estate Planning attorneys shy away from business succession planning, but if you approach it like you do any other asset, it’s not so scary! First, it’s important to understand that entities involve not just the business relationship, but family relationships as well. Often, businesses start with one or maybe two members of a senior generation who have the funds, desire, and connections to create the business. It’s not always clear, though, what will happen when that senior generation retires, or worse yet, dies unexpectedly. Read on to learn more.
Frequently Asked Questions About Business Succession Planning
Creating a succession plan in Bluffton, SC, involves several key steps:
– Assessment of Needs: Begin by assessing the specific needs of your business, including its size, structure, and the roles that are crucial for its operation.
– Identify Potential Successors: Consider both family members and key employees within the business who could potentially take over leadership roles.
– Develop a Training Program: Create a program to train your chosen successors in the skills and knowledge they will need to effectively run the business.
– Legal and Financial Planning: Consult with our attorney to address legal and financial aspects, such as transfer of ownership and tax implications.
– Craft an Estate Plan: Document your succession plan, outlining the process and timeline for the transfer of leadership and ownership. We can help you with this.
– Review and Update Regularly: Business environments and circumstances can change, so it’s important to review and update your plan regularly.
– Estate Planning: This is a broader process that involves organizing the distribution of an individual’s assets (including the business) after their death. It encompasses wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and healthcare directives.
– Business Succession Planning: This is focused on the continuation of the business after the owner’s retirement, death, or incapacitation. It includes identifying successors, training them, and planning for the legal and financial aspects of transferring ownership and management.
You should come to Montgomery Law Firm, LLC with an overview of your business, your goals, and a contingency plan to deal with things that may arise. From there, our attorney can assist you with the creation of your plan.
Succession planning begins with evaluating your business, talking things over with all of your stakeholders, communicating with your family, and bringing the details to your estate planning attorney.
If you need assistance with succession planning for your business – or just have questions, our team is happy to help you learn what you need to know to make important decisions. Please feel free to reach out using our contact page or call us at (843) 815-8580 to learn more.
Hunter is a member of the South Carolina Bar Association, the Beaufort County Bar Association, and has served on charitable and advisory boards in the Bluffton/Hilton Head area.
Hunter graduated from Hilton Head High School. He then earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Economics from Clemson University, in Clemson, South Carolina.
Hunter graduated Cum Laude from Regent University School of Law in Virginia Beach, Virginia, having earned a Juris Doctor Degree. He also wrote his doctorial thesis on Estate Planning Dynasty Trusts.
Hunter has called Beaufort County home for since 1984, where he lives with his wife and two children.In his spare time he dabbles in automobiles, reading history, hunting and fishing.
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